3 Ways To Deal With a Hater

Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition cover girl Kate Upton has loads of fans, a smoking body, and...really harsh critics who keep trashing her career. Here's how to cope if you get stuck in a similar work sitch.

\nYouTube star Kate Upton just landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue…and she's already getting trashed by some modeling industry people. One casting agent even told the New York Times that Kate's look was "too obvious" with her "too-blond hair and that kind of face that anyone with enough money can go out and buy." Um…ouch.

Like Kate, you've probably run into criticism about your work at some point (although, for your sake, we hope it wasn't that harsh). And whether it comes from a coworker, your boss, or a total stranger, it hurts. We tracked down experts for their tips on how to deal when, like Kate, you get served some serious haterade.

Get Pissed

It's normal to get upset when someone says something that's less than positive about you—take a few moments or even a few weeks to process it. "It's fine to be emotional about it," says executive and life coach Meredith Haberfeld, cofounder of the Institute For Coaching. Of course, if your bitchy coworker puts you down at work, it's best to wait until you can have alone time to freak.
If you have to vent ASAP, career consultant Alexandra Levit, author of They Don't Teach Corporate in College, recommends stepping outside for a sec and calling a close friend. That way, you can get it off your chest without sparking any office gossip.

Okay, sure—it's totally offensive when your coworker says something mean, but it's important to take a little time to think about why she might have said that. Sometimes there's something positive to be learned from a career critic, so Levit recommends taking a sec to ask yourself, "Is something about what they said true?"

And other times, people are just haters for the sake of it—or their motivation is a little skewed. Maybe your coworker is pissed that your boss clearly likes you better, or maybe she just gets her kicks out of trashing other people. In Kate's case, it's possible the casting agent was just ticked his company didn't get to her first.

Shake It Off

While it's easy to zero in on the negative stuff, Levit says to remind yourself of all of the awesome things people have said about you. Most of the time, that great feedback totally outweighs the negative. In Kate's case, we think she's gorgeous and we've heard loads of dudes drool over her hot bod so, really, she wins.